† ˈolfend Obs.
Also 3 oluente, -onte, Orm. ollfennt.
[Com. Teut.: OE. olfend and olfenda = MHG. olbent; also with change of formative OS. olƀundeo, ON. {uacu}lfaldi, Goth. ulbandus masc., OHG. olbanta, olbenta, MHG. olbande, olbende, olbente fem. See note below.]
A camel.
| 971 Blickl. Hom. 169 Se þe mid þon anum hræᵹle wæs ᵹeᵹyrwed þe of olfenda hærum awunden wæs. c 1000 Ags. Gosp. Matt. iii. 4 Johannes..hæfde reaf of olfenda hærum. c 1160 Hatton Gosp. ibid., Of oluende hære. c 1200 Ormin 3208 Hiss claþ wass off ollfenntess hær. c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 127 Stark haire of oluente [was] his wede. Ibid. 195 Seuen þusend shep and þrie þusend oluontes. |
[Note. The similarity between this ancient Teutonic name for the camel, and the Gr. ἐλέϕαντ- elephant, has excited much attention, without receiving any satisfactory explanation. Some have thought the Teut. word adopted from Gr., with mistaken identification of the animals; others think of an original relationship between pre-Hellenic *lebhant- and pre-Teut. *lbhant, as the name of some real or imaginary gigantic beast. But the resemblance may also be merely accidental; it is strongest in the case of OE. olfend, Ormin's ollfennt ‘camel’, and ME. olifant, oliphant, ‘elephant’. The only app. certain cognates of Goth. ulbandus are Slavonic: OS. velĭbądŭ, velĭblądŭ, Russ. vel-, verbl{supi}ud, Czech velbloud, Lith. verbludas, which Miklosich considers to be adopted from OTeut. with modification by popular etymology.]